Johnny Otis

About Johnny Otis

One of the granddaddies of rhythm & blues, Johnny Otis led a West Coast big band that launched numerous careers (including those of Etta James and Esther Phillips). Otis's band wasn't just a launchpad for others, however; Otis scored big with "Harlem Nocturne" in 1945, then left his indelible imprint on the world of bar bands by writing "Willie and the Hand Jive."

HOMETOWN
Vallejo, CA, United States
BORN
28 December 1921
GENRE
Blues

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